Sprats

The following Russian delicacy comes highly recommended by Vlad. He also says it should be eaten with a nice dark bread. He was kind enough to give me a can of these to try, which we served up on Thanksgiving day with the cheese and crackers. The general consensus was a thumbs up...

sprat
Pronunciation: \ˈsprat\
Function: noun
Etymology: alteration of Middle English sprot, from Old English sprott
Date: 1537
1 a: a small European marine fish (Sprattus sprattus) of the herring family — called also brisling b: any of various small or young fish (as an anchovy) of the herring family 2: a young, small, or insignificant person

Sprats are little more than smoked sardines packed in a lightly aromatic oil, but that makes all the difference. Anyone who enjoys sardines is usually crazy about sprats.


Here is what a sprat looks like in the wild -


Here is what a sprat looks like in the can, minus the head.